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In: Clare Adamson, Political News

The Scottish Government has welcomed STV on joining the Scottish Business Pledge, with the company being the 70th company to agree to sign up for this initiative – with one company on average joining every day since the launch in May 2015. Since the launch, businesses have been working in conjunction with the Scottish Government to boost productivity, incorporate fairness and generate growth across the private sector.  Companies who sign up to the pledge commit to pay their employees the living wage, which is set independently by the Living Wage Foundation. Scottish Business Pledge has nine components: paying the living wage; not using exploitative zeroRead More →

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You would never know from press coverage that the First Minister has been in China this week working on our behalf. Courtesy of the Scottish Governments news update :- The First Minister was on a five day trade mission to China and Hong Kong where she helped support more than 70 Scottish businesses in innovation, education and design. Some highlights included: Promoting Scotland’s North Sea oil and gas capability Talks with State Councillor Yang Jie Chi – who holds China’s most senior foreign affairs role Keynote speech on gender equality in Beijing View pictures from the visit Read more about the visit on the FirstRead More →

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As the BBC do not like to share the good news stories about the Scottish NHS, we thought we would share this press release with you. SNP MSP Bob Doris has today welcomed new figures showing the number of beds occupied by delayed discharge has fallen to its lowest level since 2013. Today’s figures from ISD Scotland show a reduction of nine per cent in May 2015 – or nearly 5,000 bed days – when compared to the same month last year. The data also shows improvements in Accident & Emergency waiting times have been sustained in the week ending 19 July – with 95.2Read More →

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The SNP has today [Tuesday] called for the unelected, undemocratic House of Lords to be scrapped. The move comes on the back of reports that David Cameron is to press ahead with the appointment of around 200 new peers, bringing the total to over 1000. Commenting, SNP Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Pete Wishart MP said: “The House of Lords has never been held in such contempt by the Scottish people who see it as nothing other than a repository for the cronies and donors of the UK parties. With its Lords, Ladies, Baronets and Earls it can only be described as the mostRead More →

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The House of Commons has already spent taxpayer money on measures to ensure that Scots MPs’ will be locked out of House of Commons votes, despite the Tory measures not even being approved by Westminster, the SNP has learned. In contrast to the Scottish Parliament – where the legislators vote electronically on a key pad on their Holyrood desks – MPs’ in the House of Commons still vote by funnelling down ‘Aye’ or ‘Nay’ lobbies, with their votes being counted manually. However, in a bid to modernise the Parliament the House of Commons decided to spend £5000 on developing software to count the MPs electronically,Read More →

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Commenting on the vote on the second reading of the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in the House of Commons tonight (Monday), which passed by 308 to 124 – with the Labour Group abstaining, while some 48 Labour MPs rebelled to vote with the SNP against the Bill – the SNP said that Labour’s failure to oppose it would haunt them through next year’s Scottish Parliament election and beyond. Commenting, SNP Fair Work and Employment spokesperson Hannah Bardell MP said: “The Tories’ cruel welfare cuts damage the working poor and vulnerable people, and had to be opposed. “Labour had the perfect opportunity to join the SNP in a progressiveRead More →

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I was delighted to see on facebook today a link to the Scottish Affairs Committee page at Westminster. Not only was it openly being shared but it invites us, the people who elected them, to have a say in their programme for the current term of government. I have not seen this level of openness from Westminster before. Could it be that what we practice at Holyrood is being shared with the good people of Westminster? I have a feeling that this may be the case as this committee is being chaired by Pete Wishart of the S.N.P. Hopefully the example may be followed byRead More →

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Commenting on reports that UK military personnel have been involved in conducting air strikes in Syria, Scottish National Party Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Alex Salmond MP said: “This action clearly flouts the democratic decision taken by the House of Commons two years ago for the UK not to take part in a bombing campaign in Syria. “And just as inexcusable, the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon led a Commons debate on Syria only this month – before which he briefed about the likelihood of the UK bombing in Syria in the future – yet he didn’t say a word about UK military personnel already sent into action.Read More →

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The SNP is today celebrating a by-election victory in the Thorniewood ward of the North Lanarkshire Council area. In the 2012 local elections, Labour received the largest share of first preferences with 70.5% of votes, whereas in this by-election the SNP came top with 47% of the vote – a 25.3% swing. In 2012 this was the second safest Labour ward in North Lanarkshire. New SNP Councillor Steven Bonnar will join recently elected SNP MP Phil Boswell, who won the formerly safe Labour seat of Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill in May, in representing the area. Commenting, Councillor Bonnar said: “It is a privilege to beRead More →

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Scottish National Party spokesperson for Social Justice and Welfare Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP has slammed the UK Government’s budget for failing millions of low and middle income families. The Tory government budget includes cuts to Tax Credits, which the Institute of Fiscal Studies has said will not be compensated by the government’s so-called ‘Living wage.’ Speaking in the House of Commons this afternoon, Dr Eilidh Whiteford MP said: “In work poverty is the scandal of our time- and it’s a scandal that was ignored by yesterday’s Tory budget. “In Scotland tax credits are overwhelmingly paid to working people. And in Scotland 95% of tax creditsRead More →